NDTV to cut workforce by 25 per cent, focus on news and digital content

NDTV is likely to downsize its workforce by up to 25% over the next month, as part of the company’s internal restructuring.

The move is seen as part of the turnaround plan that was initiated earlier, to bring down costs and drive profitability.

A statement released on Tuesday said, “A part of this plan was implemented in the last quarter and included our much-noted move to new technologies including to mobile journalism. Our reporters across the country are now using mobile phones for the fastest and most efficient delivery of breaking news.”

With the aim of regaining its financial strength in relation to its broadcast business, some of the ancillary businesses that NDTV expanded into over the last few years would be minimized.

“Given our reprioritization, our workforce has to be altered too – over the next month, we are considering reduction of workforce upto 25%. We thank these departing employees for their contribution and hard work and wish them the very best,” the statement said.

NDTV Group CEO Suparna Singh, in a letter addressed to employees, said, “The strategy we are adopting calls for a far leaner operation which will feed only our core business: our English and Hindi news channels, and NDTV Convergence and its digital teams that run our news and other apps and websites.”

While indicating that the process of downsizing has already begun, the company said that severance packages have been arranged and it will work with the affected employees to help them find jobs elsewhere.

Suparna Singh added, “NDTV thanks with immense gratitude these colleagues and friends for their hard work and wishes them the very best.  We will always think of them as ours.”

She further said that as part of the exercise, the top management has taken a salary cut. Several verticals that had been created around similar functions have been merged. There is a new team handling Sales and Revenue. The company has launched new initiatives for strategic alliances and new partnerships.

“I guarantee that Saurav as Co-Ceo, the new strategy team and I are working round-the-clock to make this transition quickly and effectively,” she said.  

A report in Outlook in July had indicated that NDTV had dismissed around 70 employees, as the company was shifting its focus to MoJo (mobile journalism).